RM Winter 2017

responses. One student commented, “It was actually fun to write… [but sometimes] you can draw pictures and it might be fun to share that [pictures from the story].” Another student shared, “You can tell things in pictures too. Not just in writing.”Third graders felt a sense of autonomy during this project because they had the freedom to write about what they were interested in writing, use illustrations to communicate with their pen pals, and make personal connections with their pen pals and with the novel. Benefits of participating in the project. Again, the third graders reported high levels of enjoyment throughout the project. All of the third graders reported that they would want to work with pen pals again and thought that other third graders should have the experience as well. This project supported South Carolina literacy standards, stimulated communication, and engaged students of different ages socially and academically. Preservice Teachers We (Ms. Brandon and Ms. Nash) were each responsible for corresponding with a third grade student, analyzing his or her writing, and creating an entry responding to the student’s entry. We identified whether the student made textual connections and chose one of the six traits of writing to analyze the student’s relative strengths or needs with regards to the writing sample. Our students’ writing continually informed the way that we responded each week. The reflection on our experiences is provided below. Working with pen pals. We enjoyed working with elementary students because it allowed us to understand a child’s perspective. The students’ reactions and responses to the events in the book made us aware of a third grader’s point of view while reading the novel. For example, we learned that, in general, students enjoyed the humorous scenes in the book and enjoyed mysterious characters. In addition, this study gave us the opportunity to interact with the students in an informal setting, which is not typically granted in the field experiences we have through our coursework. Using technology. At the beginning of the study, we exchanged introductory videos with the third graders. This visual introduction made the connection with the students more personal, as we “met” our pen pals before corresponding. It set the tone for positive interaction throughout the project, and allowed us to feel as if we were developing relationships with the students. In addition, using OneNote was an advantage. This online platform made responding a fast task. The flexibility to use the technology to respond whenever we wanted was a benefit because it never conflicted with coursework or with our work schedules. We also felt that the use of technology developed a risk-free, informal atmosphere for pen pals who had low self- efficacy as writers. Overall, the technology enhanced this project. Creating responses. Participating in this book study project gave us experience in supporting students’ development in literacy. We learned (or were reminded) that everyone brings a little something different to a book. It’s interesting how people can read the same book but draw different

it with your hand. You could type it.” Another shared, “I think it was easier for [my pen pal] to read my writing, and it was better for me because I didn’t get ink on my hands or blisters.” Several students also mentioned how the technology would help them as they wrote. A student shared, “It was so awesome because the drop down box would help me make sure I spelled things right.” Creating responses. The third graders provided insight into how they created their responses. They reported using look backs in the text, thinking about themselves, looking at their pen pal’s questions, asking their own questions, sharing their opinions, telling things that happened in the story, and guessing what would happen next. See Figure 6 for samples of third grade student entries. At the beginning of the project, many of the responses relied on summarization of the story. One student shared, “I just don’t write exactly what’s there [in the story]. I use my own words. I write about what’s happening but not exactly.” Quite a few students noted how it was difficult to write at first but got easier when “we could keep going back and forth.” In fact, student responses increased in length as the project progressed. One student shared, “At first I didn’t want to write at all. But then I thought if I write something short, she’ll write something short back. So I decided to write long so she would write long.” Figure 6. Sample student responses. Figure 6.

Reading Matters Research Matters

Pen pal book study figures 9

Many students felt supported in their writing when their pen pal would ask them questions about the story and when there were opportunities to have personal interactions. One student commented, “Sometimes [my pen pal] would write questions for me. It was easier for me to write and think about things to say when this happened.” Another shared, “I could add stories about myself and that stuff is really easy to write about.” These young writers also seemed to feel less pressure when they were allowed to select the type of responses they wanted to make. For example, some shared pictures as part of their

| 34 | Reading Matters | Volume 16 • Winter 2016 | scira.org

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